SDN Rule Modification Counter System for Network Integrity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current software-defined network (SDN) controllers face impracticalities in monitoring SDN devices due to the need to download and compare entire rule sets, which becomes inefficient with thousands of rules across hundreds of devices, as traditional methods only track additions or deletions, failing to detect rule modifications.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an SDN rule modification counter system that includes a counter on each SDN switch to track rule modifications and an operation counter on the controller, allowing for real-time comparison and updates to the central rules table without repeated downloads, using either counters or hashes to identify and address mismatches.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the SDN controller downloads and compares entire rule sets from SDN devices to monitor rule changes, then the controller can detect rule modifications, but the monitoring process becomes impractical and inefficient when each SDN device has thousands of rules and there are hundreds of devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential monitoring information (rule modification counts) from the complete rule sets. Instead of downloading and comparing entire rule sets, the controller only needs to exchange compact counter values that indicate the number of rule modifications, thereby achieving accurate monitoring with minimal data transmission
Solution Approach 2:
The monitoring function is segmented into two parts: local counting at SDN devices (tracking rule modifications independently) and centralized verification at the controller (comparing counter values). This segmentation allows parallel operation and eliminates the need for continuous full rule set synchronization
2Ease of manufacture
If traditional SDN implementations only track rule additions or deletions through statistics counts, then the implementation is simple, but modifications to existing rules are not detected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where SDN devices continuously update and report their rule modification counters to the controller. The controller compares these counters against expected values and can trigger alerts or corrective actions when discrepancies are detected, providing continuous monitoring feedback without complex implementation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces counters as intermediary elements that mediate between rule modification events and controller detection. These counters act as compact representations of rule set state changes, enabling the controller to detect modifications without directly examining individual rule changes
Data Source
AI summary
A software-defined network (SDN) rule modification counter system provides counters that track all changes and edits to rules at SDN controllers and SDN switches on an SDN. The system compares counters at the SDN controller and SDN switch to determine if they match. If the counters do not match, a change has been made to the rules. With the addition of rule edit statistics the SDN controller will now have visibility that a rule modification was performed. The SDN controller then verifies that the state of the device is the same as its expected state as a secondary integrity check. Based on the rule modification notification, changes to a central rules table at the SDN controller and changes to rule settings at the SDN switch are made according to pre-programmed logic.